SAN DIEGO Jason Ellis of Poway pleaded guilty in federal court today to filing a false tax return as part of a years long tax-evasion scheme with former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
Until around 2018, Rabbi Goldstein was the director and head rabbi at Chabad of Poway, a tax-exempt religious organization. Goldstein also operated several non-profit entities affiliated with the Chabad, including the Friendship Circle of San Diego. Beginning in 2008, at Rabbi Goldstein s request, Ellis, who was at the time an employee of Qualcomm, made a $1,000 donation to Friendship Circle. Ellis then requested that Qualcomm match that donation through the company s corporate matching program. Unbeknownst to Qualcomm, Goldstein met with Ellis in person and returned the entirety of his $1,000 to him in cash, and kept the falsely matched Qualcomm donation. Ellis repeated this scheme in the same way every year through 2017.
Ex-Qualcomm employee pleads guilty to filing false tax return in Chabad scheme
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Gregory Bull
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2011, file photo, a sign sits atop the Qualcomm headquarters building in San Diego. Chip maker Qualcomm is buying NXP Semiconductors N.V. in a deal valued at approximately $38.1 billion announced Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
and last updated 2021-07-29 21:23:41-04
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A former Qualcomm employee pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal count of filing a false tax return as part of the wide-ranging tax evasion and donation fraud scheme involving former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A former Qualcomm employee pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal count of filing a false tax return as part of the wide-ranging tax evasion and donation fraud scheme involving former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
Jason Ellis, 42, of Poway, admitted to evading more than $27,000 in taxes by donating money to nonprofit entities associated with the Chabad, funds which Goldstein returned to Ellis. Prosecutors say that when Ellis made his donations, he requested that Qualcomm match his supposed donations through the company’s corporate matching program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Ellis first made a $1,000 donation in 2008 and Goldstein returned the entirety of the donation to him, while keeping the falsely matched Qualcomm donation. Ellis and Goldstein carried out that arrangement through 2017, though Ellis’ donation amounts increased in 2016, as he was promoted at Qualcomm, meaning the company would match up to $5,000 in charitable donations.
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